Letter-drier



(No Model.)

s 1).- DQHOWARQ- LETTER DRIER.

Patented Apr. 3, 1894.

By 703d anfiarlyzg's.

m5 uA'ncNAL LITHOGIAPMI UNITED STAT S PATENT OFFICE.

DAISY DORLISKA HOWARD, OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA.

LETTER-DRIER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 517,803, dated April 3, 1894.

Application filed August 4, 1893. Serial No. 482,396. (No model.)

To al l whom" it may concern."

Be it known that I, DAISY DORLISKA HOW- ARD, a citizen of the-United States, residing at Jacksonville, in the county of Duval and State of Florida, have invented a new and useful Letter-Drier, of which the following is a specification.

The objects of my invention are to produce a device designed to be employed as an accessory to a letter-press and to receive damp letters after copying in the letter-book and absorb therefrom the moisture impregnating the letter-sheets, thereby preventing them from transferring after being folded and while in their envelopes, and injuring the gum of the envelope; and furthermore, reducing their weight, and therefore decreasing the postage necessary to send them through the mails. I

It is well known by those conversant with the use of letter-presses that it is next to impossible to gage the moisture of the copying pads or upon the water-brush, when such is used, as to prevent impregnating the lettersheets with moisture, and after removal from the press they are usually hurriedly folded, placed in their respective envelopes, and mailed. The writing contained in the letters oftentimes transfers from one side of the sheet to the other, blurring ina manner undesirable and inconvenient to the reader or recipient of the letter; the moisturealso impregnates the gum that seals the flaps of the envelope and oftentimes causes them to separate and the letter become lost; and furthermore, the waterrbesogged letter is increased in weight so that additional postage is required for its transmission. Through the instrumentality of my invention I propose to overcome all these difficulties and with the practice of a slight additional labor and expenditure of a few moments of time to thoroughly dry the letter-sheets and render them, fit for mailing. Referring to thedrawingsz-Figure l is a perspective view of a letter-drier constructed in accordance with my invention, the same being shown open as for the reception of letter-sheets. Fig. 2 is a similar view, the same being closed. Fig. 3isa detail in perspective of a modified construction.

faced upon their inner sides with absorbent linings 2 of blotting-paper. Between these.

backs there is placed any number of sheets 3 of blotting-paper, which are slightly smaller in dimensions than the backs so as to be conveniently inclosed thereby. Two or more tapes 4 are passed through slits 5 with which the back edges of the backs 1 and the sheets 3 are provided, the said tapes loosely connecting the sheets and backs, and thus converting the device into book-form. The sheets are near their upper and lower edges provided with slits 6, the slits of said" edges of each sheet being preferably out of alignment with those ofthe opposite adjacent sheets,

and upper and lower tapes 7 are passed successively in a zigzag manner through the slits throughout the series of sheets, the said tapes being caught opposite the edges of the sheets through which they pass and stitched I or tacked as indicated at 8, so that they lie outside of the sheets 3 and when the latter are closed together the slack tape extends outward from the sheets and does not take between the same.

This completes the construction of the device and the operation thereof is as follows:

After the letters have been copied in the press they are removed and placed back to back between the several blotting-sheets 3, which, as before stated, are formed of blotting-paper. After the letters have been all placed in. position the device is closed in the manner of a book and placed under the press and subjected to a momentary pressure. This pressure extracts the water from the letter-sheets, and the same is absorbed by the blottingsheets 3, so that as a result there is no chance of the writing being transferred or blurred,

and the letters are placed in their envelopes in a dry condition.

In Fig. 3 I have illustrated a slightly modified construction of my invention, the same being designed to receive greater quantities of letters than in the form first shown. The difference, however, is slight, in that I omit the back tapes and merely connect the upper and lower edges of the absorbent sheets and the backs by means of pairs of tapes 9, so that the device operates accordion -like and a greater number of sheets may be received and blotting-sheets employed than in bookform.

It will be seen that by reason of the peculiar manner of'securing the tapes to the sheets, the said tapes all bend outward when the device is closed; and, furthermore, that the alternating arrangement of the slits 6, avoids as far as possible, any bunching or accumulations of thickness between the sheets so that the letter-sheets themselves are subjected throughout their entire surface to an even pressure. The connecting tapes which connect the edges of the blotting sheets subserve a very important function in-connection with the drier herein described, and are specifically arranged as set forth in order to adapt the drier solely for use in connection with the ordinary letter press, whereby the necessary uniform pressure maybe attained. This even uniform pressure cannot be gained in similar or analogous devices where the ends of the leaves or sheets are connected in such a manner as to make the center of the device considerably thicker than the centerof the same, thereby eifectually preventing a uniformity of pressure which is absolutely necessary to insure a thorough drying of the Wet sheets being pressed. The result referred to is simply attained by reason of the fact that the slits 6 in the edges of the blotter sheets are arranged out of alignment so that the tapes will run in a zigzag manner from one back of the device to the other, thereby providing means to prevent any bunching or accumulations of thickness between the ends of the sheets, since no two of the connections of the tapes with the edges of the sheets will come together when the device is placed in the press. Furthermore, the manner in which the tapes are fastened at the ends of the sheets by bringing the same together as at 8, together with the zigzag arrangement of the tapes insures the folding or falling of the tapes outside of the device when closed.

I do not limit my invention to the precise details of construction herein shown and described,but hold that I may vary the same to any degree and extent within the knowledge of the skilled mechanic.

Having described my invention, what I claim is The herein-described letter drier adapted] for use in connection with a letter press, the same consisting of the opposite stout backs, a series of intermediate blotter sheets or pages arranged between the backs and provided near their opposite edges with slits, the slits of each sheet or page being arranged alternately with respect to or out of alignment with the slit of the adjacent sheets or pages, and the flexible connecting tapes passed successively through said slits and extending in a zigzag line from one back to the other, said tapes being secured or fastened at points opposite the edges of the sheets or pages to insure the folding of the tape outside of the same when the drier isplaced in the press, substantially as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

DAISY DORLISKA HOWARD.

Witnesses:

E. P. CLARK, EDWIN A. CASTELLAER. 

